Rent vs. Buy Calculator

Compare a simplified long-run cost estimate for renting versus buying under the assumptions you choose.

Preparing Rent vs. Buy Calculator

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Input

Enter the housing and financing assumptions requested by the tool to compare the cost of renting and buying over time. This tool shows the result instantly without step-by-step output.

Input summary

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How to use Rent vs. Buy Calculator

Provide the rent, ownership, and financing assumptions, and the calculator will estimate which path appears less costly over the chosen horizon.

What this calculator is for

This calculator is for housing-decision framing rather than for exact prediction. It helps people see how time horizon, appreciation assumptions, transaction costs, and housing expenses interact when choosing between renting and buying.

Tips

The result is highly sensitive to how long you expect to stay, so test short, medium, and long holding periods rather than only one timeline.
Buying can cost more than renting at first even when long-run ownership looks attractive, so look at cash flow as well as total modeled cost.